


Strange Weather

by exyllent



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Flashback Chapters, Gen, Heavy Angst, M/M, Meg from that one Q&A video, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-08-10 03:15:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20128444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exyllent/pseuds/exyllent
Summary: 'They only want me in strange weather.In a small room, on a naked floor,With the blinded heart of black matter.'





	1. Prologue

While it happened sometimes, Jack had made sure thunderstorms weren’t a common weather pattern on Helios. As impressive as it was his employees had made it possible, he couldn’t stand them. Pathetic fallacy, he always thought, whenever something bad happens it storms.

The storm had raged outside for most of the afternoon and, so far, all through the night. Rain pounded on the window along with hailstones, thunder roared and, no matter how hard Jack tried, he couldn’t block the sounds out. The CEO lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling with malcontent as the noises from outside rattled around in his brain. He was exhausted, mentally and physically, but he couldn’t bring himself to close his eyes. Closing his eyes would be a commitment to the nightmares he wasn’t prepared to make tonight.

His head turned to the side, eyes settling on the soft tuft of brown hair sticking out from beneath the heavy blankets. Jack laughed softly, realising that maybe he wasn’t alone in his dislike of storms.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t alone in being awake, though.

No, Rhys slept soundly once he fell asleep, the loud thunderclaps too distant to disturb him any further. It made Jack almost jealous, seeing the younger man’s chest rise and fall so steadily, so peaceful.

He wished he could sleep like that again. But he knew he couldn’t. He’d repressed too much to ever give himself anything even remotely resembling peacefulness ever again.

It was his fault he was like this, and he knew it.

Slowly Jack sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed before rising on them. He stretched his back out, letting out a soft sigh as he began to walk to the bedroom door.

“Goin’ somewhere without me, handsome?” a sleepy-sounding voice from the bed asked, muffed a little by the blankets which were soon kicked down to completely uncover Rhys’ face.

Jack froze. He’d tried his best to be quiet and not wake him, but for someone who’d slept through the majority of a torrential storm he was surprisingly observant.

“Can’t sleep,” Jack replied simply, his voice a little louder than a whisper, “go back to sleep, I won’t go far.”

Rhys shook his head, yawning as he removed himself from the vast bed. “Nuh-uh, no way am I leaving you when you can’t sleep.” He said, approaching Jack. Wrapping both arms around his waist and pressing his face into the older man’s back, he spoke again, muffled by the fabric, “Really don’t wanna try to sleep one more time?”

Jack thought for a moment, considering all of his options before he simply shook his head, offering no other explanation. Rhys, in response, knocked a bare foot against Jack’s socked one, smiling up at him.

“Well, I guess it’s a no to the pills, too, then.” Jack shook his head again. Slowly, Rhys led Jack out of the bedroom, “Go make drinks, okay? No caffeine, hot chocolates, or something.” Again, Jack found himself too tired to reply, instead just nodding and eventually pulling himself away from Rhys and going into the kitchen.

Rhys didn’t follow, wandering into the lounge and over to the bookshelf. He and Jack had only been dating for a few months, Rhys hadn’t really had the chance to look around the expansive penthouse the CEO owned.

His eyes scanned over the books, only a few managing to catch his interest, before his eyes settled on a downward-facing photo frame. A soft frown met his lips, _surely Jack hadn't intended for it to be so hidden?_ He reached out, lifting the frame and holding it in both hands as a viewed the image.

_Jack’s wedding day_, he thought, _must be his wife._

His wife- Well, Rhys thought she looked incredible. Long, dark hair twisted up skilfully and an elegant white gown. Of course, Jack looked fantastic too. Young, happy. Two things Rhys seldom saw when he looked at him.

It brought a smile to his lips.

Jack finally returned from the kitchen, two steaming mugs in his hands, but his eyes were trained on Rhys as he approached. The younger man turned quickly with a blush when he heard footsteps coming closer, stuttering out, “I- I’m sorry. I wasn’t being, y’know, nosy or anything. I was just picking it back up and- and I saw it.”

While Rhys could tell the older man wasn’t angry at him, the way he was still so terrifyingly silent was unnerving, and Rhys couldn’t help but feel as if it was his fault.

“I… I don’t know what the line is. When it comes to talking about her, but…” a moment passed, and Rhys gave Jack a soft smile, “What was she like?”

Jack’s eyes finally caught the image after Rhys’s question, and a sombre smile grew on his lips.

“She was perfect.”


	2. Yellow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First flashback chapter :)

The rain was falling heavily and relentlessly again today, soaking Jack to his bones before he even got three steps away from his apartment complex. It wasn’t like he didn’t have enough money to buy, or at least rent, a nicer place. But he didn’t want somewhere bigger without having someone to share it with.

Someone serious, not just another fling.

The doors made a gentle _ding _when Jack opened them with an outstretched arm, immediately relishing in the warmth that enveloped him as he entered the building. It was still early, only a couple of people were sitting at tables enjoying their hot drinks, a pleasant contrast to the miserable weather outside.

Approaching one of the ordering machines, Jack ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to dry it off some, and shrugged off his coat to let that dry out too. He folded the coat over his arm after giving it a gentle shake. The machine hummed to life as Jack input his order; he could do it with his eyes closed, his mornings had become so routine and he’d done this exact thing so many times before.

Jack heard the familiar chime of the doors swinging open again, but he didn’t turn to look. No, he just listened. The tapping of the heels against the hard floor agitated him for some reason, he wasn’t exactly sure why but it did. The words spewing from the new man’s mouth, however, agitated him much, much more.

“Oh, come on. Just one date, I bet you’ll fall in love with me.” The man insisted, reaching out and grasping at the woman’s wrist.

Now Jack had turned to look.

While he noticed the woman didn’t look particularly frightened by the man’s increasing desperation, she was clearly bothered. He wanted to intervene, he really did, but he had to make sure his help wouldn’t be unwelcome when he did.

“The answer is the exact same one as thirty seconds ago: no.” The woman snapped, pulling her arm away and crossing them over her chest, “And don’t touch me.”

“Listen here, you stuck-up whore,” the man started, and Jack felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, “It’s not like you could do better. You’re God damn lucky I’m even talking to you right now.”

The woman looked like she was about to counter, but Jack decided he’d had more than enough. “Hey, man, leave the lady alone, yeah?” he said as he slowly began approaching the couple, “She’s sure as Hell not interested in your skinny-ass, so back off.”

The look on the man’s face was priceless, Jack just wished he could’ve taken a photo.

“Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?” he asked Jack, turning to face him, “I’ll have you fired-“

Jack hadn’t even realised he’d punched the man for a moment after it happened, he just ended up on the floor with blood streaming from his nose. The woman’s breath had caught in her throat, and she stared down at the man on the floor. Jack stared at him for a moment, too, before their eyes locked onto each other’s. Deep blue eyes burned holes into Jack’s skull and, for a second, she looks angry. But, as the man pulled himself from the ground and quickly left the coffee shop covered in his own blood, a smile grew on her lips.

She reached out, gently taking Jack’s hand with bloodied knuckles, “We should get you cleaned up, must’ve really hurt.”

Jack watched as she ran her soft, pale fingers over his sore knuckles, and he shrugged, “Nah, doesn’t hurt.”

“Still, surely you don’t want to walk around the rest of the day with a bloody hand?”

A soft chuckle left Jack’s lips, “No, no. Guess you’re right.”

She smiled up at him as she took a tissue from her bag, beginning to carefully clean him up. There was silence between them for a moment, the other patrons of the café returning to their conversations too, before the woman spoke, “Thank you…”

“For what?” Jack asked, reaching over with his spare hand and tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.

The smile became shy, almost embarrassed, “For stepping in. He’s been trying that for weeks, now. No one ever did anything. Except you.”

“Well, what can I say? I do love a damsel in distress.”

Tossing the tissue in the trash, she laughed, giving Jack a bright smile, “And I love a knight in shining armour.” She paused for a moment, “Let me buy you a drink. As thanks.”

Jack stepped back to his machine from earlier, picking up the now dispensed cup of hot coffee, “Already beat you to it. Let me buy yours.”

“I don’t drink coffee, I’m here for my boss.” She explained, stepping beside Jack again, “How about we buy each other drinks tonight?”

“Like a date?”

“We’ll see.”

They both smiled at each other again and, in a moment of stupidity, Jack took a sip of the scalding hot coffee. He swallowed as much as he could, a little dribbling down his chin and he let out a soft hiss of pain as the drink burned his mouth. _Nice going, dumbass, _he thought to himself as he felt his cheeks flush, _she probably thinks you’re an idiot now._

But she didn’t. Jack felt like he’d melt underneath her smile as she reached out, gently wiping the coffee from his face. “Careful. If you keep going at this rate, I won’t have anyone to take home tonight.”

Oh, he was in deep already.

“Well, I should give you my number, then. That way you can make sure I haven’t burned my mouth on anymore coffee.” Jack cringed internally, suddenly realising he hadn’t the slightest clue about how to flirt.

“Oh, one hundred percent. I should probably give you mine, too, right? Just in case you need more help _cleaning up blood._” She followed it up with a wink, and Jack felt his heart jump in his chest.

She reached into her bag again, this time pulling out a pen and taking Jack’s free hand and neatly writing out her phone number. Jack quickly set the coffee cup down, nearly spilling its contents, and he took the pen when she offered it. He reached out, gently grasping her wrist and writing out his own.

“Well, handsome stranger, I should get back to it.” She said, giving him another soft smile and stepping back slightly.

Jack paused for a moment, before nodding, “Right, yeah. Yeah, me too. What- Uh, what’s your name?”

"Abigail.” she replied as she shrugged off her long grey coat, revealing a beautiful yellow dress underneath.

Jack knew he was staring and, quite frankly, he didn’t care. She looked perfect. The dress- It wasn’t the lemon colour he usually thought of when he thought of yellow. He didn't really _like _the colour yellow. No. It was a softer, more golden yellow. Like a sunflower. And he loved it.

"Abigail. I’m Jack.”

“Well, Jack, I guess I’ll see you later.”

He shot her his best smile, and nodded, pulling on his jacket again and picking up his cup of coffee before heading back outside into the rain. He found, now, the rain didn’t bother him. It was like nothing else in the world mattered except what had happened inside.

And he knew it was a feeling that wouldn’t last, but one he wanted to keep for forever.


	3. Old Photographs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating twice in one day because honestly this fic is killing me :))  
Thanks for reading :)

The weather had, thankfully, cleared by midday. There were forecasts for the storms to return that night, but for now Rhys could enjoy the fake warmth hitting his skin as he made his way to Jack’s office. He knew he was still troubled; he’d left for work before Rhys had even woken up. No note, no call. Nothing.

It wasn’t like him. It unnerved Rhys.

So, as an attempt at an apology for bringing her up, Rhys would offer to take Jack out for lunch. Or bring it to him, if he was too busy.

Arriving at his office, Rhys approached Jack’s PA’s desk, smiling at the woman behind it.

“Hey, Meg. Jack in there?” he asked, pointing at the office door after.

She nodded, shooting Rhys a bright smile, “Sure is. He got here before me and hasn’t left since.”

Rhys felt his shoulders drop, “Shit. Was… Was he acting weird? At all?”

“God, yes. He actually told me I was a good worker.” Meg shuddered dramatically, “Scared the Hell out of me.”

Rhys couldn’t help but laugh: he would’ve reacted the exact same way.

There was a moment of silence between the two of them as Meg typed on her computer, a series of clicks coming from the office door before she spoke, “Alright, go ahead.”

Rhys nodded, giving her a quick smile in place of a thank-you, and he quickly entered the massive office. The door clicked back into its locks behind him as it shut, and Rhys’s nerves all suddenly hit him at once. He wasn’t welcome right now, he knew it.

And yet here he was. God, he hoped Jack was in a good enough mood and far away enough from an airlock.

A soft frown grew on Rhys’ lips as he approached Jack’s desk, eyes scanning the hunched over man behind it. As he came closer, Rhys noticed that the older man was hunched over a box. A box of photos, to be exact. Old ones, too.

_Crap._

“Hey, Jack…” Rhys said, cautiously as if he were trying not to spook an animal, “I was gonna ask-… Are you doing okay..?”

There was a long, uneasy silence, before Jack looked up. He looked startled by the ‘sudden’ new company, but he let out a soft laugh. His eyes were red, watery, and Rhys immediately felt a pain inside his chest.

“Haven’t touched this box in years, you know…” the CEO all but whispered, “I guess I was too scared. Dumb, right? Who’s scared of photographs?”

The pain in his chest only grew. _You broke him, _Rhys thought to himself, _you screwed this whole thing up. Nice job. _

He carefully picked up the chair from the other side of Jack’s desk, walking back over and setting it down beside him. He assumed that, as Jack was neither shouting at him nor making threats, his presence was welcome. Little did he know Jack was desperate for it right now. Rhys was the only thing keeping him from killing every last person on the space station. Was there a reason? Not exactly, but he’d never learned another way to cope with his feelings.

Rhys accepted the image that was handed to him, a confused look growing on his face. Seeing that he was confused, Jack laughed softly, “Yeah. I had the same expression when I saw it for the first time, too.”

“What is it?”

“A sonogram. Angel’s.”

Rhys’s lips parted, and he made a small sound as he finally figured out which blob was the baby. Jack had mentioned Angel to him a few times over the past few months, but he was still yet to meet her. Rhys admitted to Jack that it was odd that she rarely stayed with him, but Jack brushed it off quickly, claiming he had his reasons.

Rhys couldn’t exactly question him further after that.

“We tried for- Shit, must’ve been nearly two years. To get pregnant with her.” A soft smile formed, and Jack laughed softly again, “God, we were over the fucking moon when they said we were.”

Rhys smiled finally, noticing that Jack had seemed to cheer up at last. Well, a little, at least. “How did you find out?”

Another moment of silence, Rhys watched as Jack ran his finger over a photo of a young, dark haired girl, smiling brightly at the camera with one of her front teeth missing. He assumed _that _was Angel.

“We went through thick and thin with her…” the smile fell off his lips slowly, “Even after she was born…”

“You both must’ve been really proud of her.”

Jack nodded slowly, looking back up and giving Rhys a broad yet tearful smile.

“You have no idea.”


	4. Angel

A plastic stick was dropped onto a tissue on the bedside table next to Jack. He looked over to it, clearly confused, before he looked to his fiancée.

“Negative. Again.” Abigail said, her voice trembling as she crossed her arms over her chest, staring down at Jack, “We’ve been trying forever, now, and nothing’s-“

“Hey, hey, take it easy, baby…” Jack said slowly, getting up from the bed and pulling her into a tight hug, “Try not to worry so much, yeah? It’ll happen eventually. I know it.”

She stayed silent for a moment, handfuls of Jack’s sweater in both hands and her face pressed into his chest. “I… I know it’s not _me _with the… the problem…”

A soft frown grew on Jack’s lips, and he pulled back slightly, holding her shoulders as their eyes met. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, sharply.

Abigail looked slightly taken aback by his sudden change in attitude, her lips parted and brows knit together a little more, “Well, I get checked basically every year. All my… _Factories _are working just fine. Maybe-“

“So you’re saying that I’m the problem? That there’s something wrong with _me_?” he snapped again, raising an eyebrow at her.

He wasn’t _meaning _to be so volatile. He was worried, too, and hearing that he could be the reason they couldn’t conceive? Well, either he got angry at her or he cried.

He chose the former.

“I never said there was _anything _wrong with you!” she objected, her volume rising as she grew more distressed.

“Sometimes- sometimes things just… Take their time, right?” Jack did his best to relax; they didn’t need a fight right now, “Maybe- maybe this is one of them.”

“Exactly, sometimes things take a little longer than we’d like, but… It’ll _happen_.” Abigail shot him a warm smile, reaching out and holding both of his hands with her own, “So we keep trying?”

Jack couldn’t help but smile back, nodding and slowly stepping backwards toward the bed, “We keep trying. And I’ve got about-“ he looked to the clock on the bedside cupboard, “-two hours before I need to go to work. What do you say to keep trying now?”

Jack felt his stomach knot and his heart flip in his chest at the devilish smile she gave him.

“Get on the bed, handsome.”

****_A Few Months Later****_

Wedding preparations had given Jack the worst migraine he’d had. In his life. You’d think that being engaged for nearly 2 years would have given them plenty of time to make all necessary arrangements, but even now seeing the price of the flowers nearly sent Jack into cardiac arrest.

It wasn’t like he wasn’t excited. Of course he was, he was going to be able to spend the rest of his life with the woman he loved. The only woman he’d ever love, he thought, or at least in this way.

Through the thoughts of the impending day had shrouded Jack’s mind so much he didn’t even consider that the cause of his migraine was staring at a computer screen for damn near twenty four hours. He’d decided to pick up extra pay, work through the night, to help towards paying off their new place and the wedding. Jack had of course called Abigail, asked her if it was okay. She didn’t object, making a harmless comment about being happy she finally had the bed to herself. Jack had laughed. She always made him laugh.

Just as Jack was finally signing out of the computer, ready to go onto his paperwork, his phone on his desk beeped. And again. And again.

A frown worked its way onto his lips, and he looked down at the watch on his wrist. _8.30am._ The frown deepened. _No one ever calls this early, _he thought to himself as he reached out, clicking the phone onto speaker. “Jack Lawrence speaking.” He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Hey, baby.” A soft voice replied, immediately earning a smile from the man at the desk.

“Hey, doll.” He paused, the smile dropping, “Everything good? Why are you calling so early?”

“Oh, it’s just- Well, I got pretty sick in the night. Shaky, vomiting, the whole shebang, you know?” she replied, clearing her throat a little before continuing, “It’s probably food poisoning, or something, but… I just wanted to let you know I went to A&E so, uh, you’re locked out of the house for a while.”

Jack’s lips parted, “Wait, I don’t give a shit about being locked out. You went to the hospital? Fuck, Abby, how long ago was this? Why didn’t you call sooner?”

“Well, I was kinda throwing up?”

_Stupid question, _Jack thought to himself before he stood up, “Okay, I’ll- I’ll be there as soon as I can. I think it’s, like, a twenty minute walk. Ten if I run.”

“Jack- No, listen, I’ll be fine. Once I’m out, I’ll drop by your office and-“

“No. Nope, no way. Already leaving. Ten minutes, I love you.”

He hung up before she could argue with him anymore, pulling his jacket off the back of his chair and power-walking out the doors. It was warm enough today that he didn’t even have to wear the jacket, especially since it was leather, but he carried it around with him solely out of habit.

True to his word, he arrived at the hospital a little over ten minutes after he hung up on her, and after asking the receptionist where she was he walked into the small room.

If it wasn’t for the bright smile she gave him when he entered, Jack knew he would’ve started crying. She _looked _ill, and something made him think that there was more wrong than she’d told him. She looked pale, tired, but so happy to see him.

“Shit, you really _did _run, didn’t you?” Abigail asked, reaching her hands out for him to take, “You look all sweaty.”

Jack laughed quietly, taking both of her hands into his own and kissing her knuckles, “Not sure if I should be offended that the first thing you did was call me sweaty. Nice to see you too, I guess.”

“It’s always nice to see you, you know that.” She said, her cheeks growing a little pinker as she watched him.

Jack hummed, letting her go and pulling over one of the uncomfortable-looking plastic chairs to beside the bed and sitting on it, “Anyone seen you yet?”

“Yeah, they took blood a few hours ago, shouldn’t be long before the test results get back.” She said, shuffling down the bed a little more so she could lay and rest her head on the pillow.

Jack nodded, taking a deep breath, and began to just talk. He felt like he needed to fill the silence, silence made the worry worse and, quite clearly, he liked the sound of his own voice.

And hers.

Only around half an hour had passed by the time the doctor returned, a kind smile on his lips as he entered the room. Jack immediately stood up, approaching the doctor and shaking his hand.

“I’m Abigail’s fiancé.” He said, perhaps just to ensure the man stayed behind the line when it came to her.

“It’s nice to meet you.” The doctor replied, looking to Abigail after and opening the file in his hands, “So, the test results came back through.”

As Jack sat back on the chair, she reached out and grabbed his hand, “So, what’s going on?” she asked, her voice quiet and shaky.

“Well, everything seems completely fine. You do have some pretty high HCG levels, though.” He explained, the smile still on his lips.

Both Jack and Abigail gave the doctor a confused look, before Jack spoke, “So, is that a good thing? Does she need a lot of HCG or?”

“Well, it could be a good thing. Maybe you’ve planned it. But, either way, congratulations,” the doctor continued, “you’re pregnant, Abigail.”

Immediately, she burst into tears, throwing both arms around Jack and hugging him as tightly as she could. Jack however, just stared at the doctor with a shocked expression, before almost timidly asking, “Are you serious...?”

The doctor smiled again and nodded, “Yep. It’s been the best part of my week getting to tell you this.” He paused for a moment, before speaking again, “You can leave whenever you’re ready, Abigail, you’ve been discharged.”

Jack was relieved when the doctor finally left, and he turned his attention to Abigail immediately after, “I can’t believe it… We’re…” Once she pulled away, he pressed both hands to her stomach, letting out a slow breath, “Oh my god… We’re gonna…”

Abigail cupped Jack’s face with both of her hands and smiled sweetly at him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

“Our very own little angel.”


	5. Siren

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *tw for mentions of gore*  
:)

“So, what happened?”

The rain pattered on the outside of the window gently, a relaxing noise in comparison to the noises from the previous nights. There wasn’t meant to be another storm tonight, but neither Jack nor Rhys had particularly high hopes for that fact.

Jack was already in bed, mask off and a pair of reading glasses settled on his nose as he finished up some work on his laptop. Rhys was amazed that the older man wasn’t even cold, wearing only a tightly fitting t-shirt and a pair of boxers, while he himself was wearing sweatpants and one of Jack’s thick, yellow, Hyperion-branded jumper. Quite frankly, Rhys was jealous. But, at least he then had an excuse to constantly being pressed to the CEO’s side.

Jack turned to look at Rhys as he got comfortable on the bed, one eyebrow raised as he slowly took off the glasses. “What happened with what?” he asked, his voice low.

Rhys tugged the thick blankets over himself, letting out a satisfied hum before he reached a hand out to take Jacks, “With the pregnancy. With Angel.” He was quiet for a moment, “I’m guessing it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine.”

Jack, too, was quiet for quite a long time. He _really _wasn’t in the mood to talk about this but, then again, he _never _was. Maybe it’d be best to just get it out of the way.

“Well, my wife got pretty sick when she _was _pregnant. Angel kept getting sick _after_, until-“ he stopped speaking suddenly, pressing his lips together tightly and settling his eyes on his lap rather than face Rhys.

The younger man’s brows furrowed, and a soft frown formed on his lips, “Until what, Jack?” he asked quietly, clearly nervous that his curiosity would be the death of him.

He _really _didn’t want to tell Rhys about Angel. Jack had known people nearly three times as long as he’d known Rhys and even they’d become untrustworthy after he told them.

But, it was a risk he’d have to take. He’d made his bed, now he got to lie in it.

“She, uh, she kept getting sick until she was- What, must’ve been around five? Five years old.” Jack took a deep breath, “That was pretty much when she presented as a siren.”

Now it was Rhys’s turn to be unnervingly silent.

A minute passed, and he finally spoke, “She’s a siren..? That’s why she doesn’t stay up here all the time, then… Jack, shit… I’m…. I’m sorry.”

Jack nodded, chewing on the inside of his lip as he debated with himself whether or not he should tell Rhys anymore.

Well, no one ever complained about having a deeper grave.

“Yeah. Sucks.” Jack said, rubbing his hand up and down his own arm, “She killed her mom, too.”

Rhys seemed to just freeze, staring at Jack with a borderline horrified expression, “She… She _what_?”

“She didn’t mean to, obviously.” He continued, his voice now trembling as he felt his eyes begin to tear up, “She was- I don’t know. Throwing a tantrum or something, her mom was trying to put her down for a nap. I wasn’t really paying attention and- And the next thing I know is her mom on the floor, screaming in pain and bleeding from freaking everywhere.”

Jack couldn’t bring himself to say her name. It made it _real_. Not like it wasn’t already, but he just couldn’t. He looked to Rhys, and a tear finally spilled over his waterline, dripping down his scarred cheek.

“Angel tore her apart from the inside and she didn’t even know it. You should’ve heard her _crying, _Rhys. She bawled her eyes out for, like, a week straight and- and I couldn’t even make it better! I’m her _father, _Rhys. And I still can’t make her crack one fucking smile because when she sees me- She doesn’t see her _dad,_ she sees the man who’s trying to control her. _I’m doing it so she doesn’t get herself fucking killed, _Rhys.”

Rhys still didn’t know what to say. He could feel bile burning at the back of his throat as he grew increasingly more nervous, more afraid.

More sympathetic for Jack.

“Jack, I… I’m sorry-“

“Don’t. Don’t be. You have every right to know, it’s just-…” the CEO swallowed, reaching up and quickly wiping away the stray tears that had escaped, “Talking about it makes it real. I don’t- I don’t want it to be.”

Rhys shuffled himself closer to Jack, gently cupping his face in both hands and pressing a tender kiss to his lips, “Let me make you feel better…” he whispered, moving down and beginning to press little kisses from Jack’s collarbone, up his neck and back to his lips again.

Jack sniffled and set his jaw, deciding he’d most definitely felt enough for one day, before replying lowly, “And how’d you plan on doing that, cupcake?”

A soft breath left the younger man, and he slowly pulled back, “I… I don’t know… Jack, I’m sorry, I-“

“Hey, come here, you dummy…” Jack whispered, pulling Rhys back forward so his head was resting on Jack’s chest, “We don’t have to do anything, yeah? This? Right here? A-OK with me.”

Rhys laughed a little, nodding and tangling his hand with the hem of Jack’s shirt, “Yeah. Yeah, okay…”

A comfortable silence sat between them both for a moment, before the older male took a deep breath and began to speak yet again, “So, uh, next week I’ve gotta take Angel down to one of the bunkers on Pandora. It’s not exactly… _safe _for her up here anymore.”

Slowly nodding, Rhys looked up at Jack, resting one hand flat-out on his chest, “That’s okay with you?”

Jack nodded, too, “Yeah, yeah. Whatever keeps her alive, you know? But- seeing as she won’t be coming back for a while, I wanted to make sure it was, y’know, cool with you if she stayed up here for the weekend.”

Rhys’s lips parted and he looked at Jack again, confused. _Was he really asking if it was okay with him? Was it a trick? _

“Yeah… Yeah. Of course it’s cool with me. Means I can finally meet your daughter.” Rhys made an attempt at a soft smile, though from Jack’s reaction of a snort he assumed it came across more as a scared grimace.

“Alright, uh… I’ll bring her back up tomorrow night. After I’m done with work.” Jack decided, wrapping both arms around Rhys and pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

The younger man immediately felt at home, curling up even tighter and pressing himself as close as he could to Jack. He wanted to spend every second like this. Warm. Comfortable. _Safe._ But, they both had busy lives and he knew that.

He’d just have to make do.


	6. In Sickness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the plot's sake and for my own Jack and Wilhelm were friends before TSP :)

“... and I promise to-.... _What_? What do I even promise her?” the brunet stared down at the little white note cards in his hands, a deep frown settling on his lips, “Something like ‘promise not to bang anyone else’? That doesn’t sound romantic at _all_. Crap, I shouldn’t have left it this late…”

A small smile was settled on the older man’s lips as he watched Jack as he had a meltdown, carefully tying his soft yellow tie, “Just say you promise to love her. Simple.”

Jack scoffed, shoving Wilhelm’s chest gently, “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one standing in front of, like, _thirty_ people confessing feelings.”

“Jack. Shut up and either write your vows or make them up when you’re up there.”

He shot his friend a horrified look, “W- When I’m up there? Seriously? I can’t make them up on the spot! Her’s are gonna be- be a God damn poem by- Fuck, I don’t know any poets. Shakespeare? No, he wrote plays. Screw it. I don’t know.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure he wrote poems, too, but that doesn’t matter.” Wilhelm took a deep, slow breath in and grasped Jack by the shoulders tightly, “Look: vows don’t mean shit. I- Get that stupid smile off your face- I’m serious. You both love each other. That’s **enough**.”

Jack didn’t know what to say. He’d never recalled a time his friend had spoken so seriously, so sweetly.

It was calming.

“I… Thanks. I wanna say, y’know, thanks for coming, too.” Jack rubbed the back of his neck, taking a few steps backwards, a shy smile on his lips, “I know it’s hard to get off work and everything but-”

“Quit it. You know I’d come even if I was missing both my legs.”

Before he could respond, Jack’s eyes shot to the now open door, a friend of Abigail’s stood there. He wasn’t exactly sure who she was, she’d probably already told him her name so he felt it’d be rude to ask for it again.

“Jack, it’s- It’s Abby. She’s asking for you,” the young woman began, clearly very stressed, “she’s not doing good.”

Jack’s brows furrowed deeply, “Not doing good how?” he asked, patting Wilhelm’s arm as he passed to get him to follow.

The woman looked to Jack as she led him down the hall, “She’s shaking, keeps throwing up. At first I just thought she was nervous but then she said the baby was hurting her.”

He let out a deep, shaky breath and dragged his hand down his face, slowing down as he entered his soon-to-be-wife’s dressing room. He immediately felt his breath catch in his throat, hand dropping back down to his side. She may have felt like shit, but she sure as Hell didn’t look like it. Not even close.

Jack slowly began to approach her, giving her a shy smile and a wave, “Hey there, pretty lady…” he whispered, kneeling in front of the wooden chair she was sitting on, “How ya feeling?”

Finally, her eyes met his and Jack felt his breathing stutter again, this time for a different reason. She’d been crying, her eyes red and teary, and immediately Jack felt himself tear up too.

“I… I can’t do it…” she whispered in response, her voice trembling as she spoke, “I can barely _walk_, Jack… I- I can’t-”

Jack felt nauseous at the heart-breaking sob she let out after, he quickly reached out and grasped both her hands with his own. He carefully pressed a kiss to each of her knuckles, before letting her hands go and instead cupping her face, kissing her gently on her forehead.

It wasn’t long before Jack spoke again, and he partly expected to get smacked upside his head for his suggestion.

“What if we walk down the aisle _together_?”

Abigail was silent for a while, and Jack took the opportunity to offer her a tissue. Eventually, she let out a quiet laugh, “Well, I guess tradition is already out the window…” she mused, giving him a tiny smile.

Tilting his head slightly, Jack questioned her, “What d’you mean? Out the window how?”

A soft shrug followed, “You weren’t supposed to see me in my dress _before_ the ceremony. I’m pretty sure it’s bad luck.” she said as she rested a hand on her small baby bump. It was barely noticeable, but they both knew it was there.

Jack couldn’t help but laugh, “Well, I think we’ve had all the bad luck we can. Now, let’s get that veil on you and let’s get _married_.”

A bright smile finally grew on her lips and she nodded, Jack immediately felt himself grow less tense, and she accepted his hand to help her stand up.

Sensing their presence was no longer needed, Wilhelm cleared his throat, catching Abigail’s friend’s attention. He looked to Jack, “Looks like you can handle this. We’ll go tell everyone to get ready.”

Jack smiled softly at him, nodding, “Thanks, yeah. All good here.”

And with that, they both left. Finally, Jack couldn’t help but find himself thinking. He looked back to his fiancee, wrapping his arms around her in a tender embrace.

“You really do look beautiful, you know.” he whispered into her ear, pressing a soft kiss to her jaw after.

“You don’t look too bad yourself, _handsome_.” she replied, pulling back from the hug just enough to press yet another kiss to his lips.

She received a bright grin in response, and she felt her cheeks grow a little warmer as she felt his big hands slip the veil into place on her head. He didn’t cover her face with it, he left it so it trailed elegantly behind her, and he carefully pulled one of the fresh-cut flowers from the glass vase on the table. He snapped off the stem, tossing it back onto the table, and he carefully tucked the flower behind her ear.

He shook his head, letting out a defeated sigh, “Still can’t believe you got me to agree to spend nearly a quarter of the budget on freaking _flowers_.”

Abigail gasped dramatically, gently pushing her hand against Jack’s chest, “They’re daffodils and they’re _pretty_!”

“Not as pretty as you, little lady…” Jack replied as he leaned in, kissing her again.

He grinned brightly as she laughed against his lips, and his smile softened as he felt her rest her head against his chest.

“I can’t wait to be able to spend forever with you…” she whispered, taking Jack’s hand and touching it to her stomach.

A sigh left Jack, “Me neither, baby. Me neither.”


	7. Awake at Night

The steady thrum of rain against the glass window pane slowly alerted Rhys back to consciousness. Heavy eyelids slowly pulled themselves open, and a soft crack of thunder helped them the rest of the way much quicker 

Instinctively, Rhys's hand made its way over to Jack's side of the bed, feeling around the cold sheets in the dark until he came to a conclusion:

Jack wasn't in the bed.

Not being in the bed meant one of two things, usually. That Jack was either working late, which in this case Rhys knew he wasn't, or he'd been thinking too much.

The latter tended to end much more bloodily than the former.

Finally mustering up enough strength, Rhys sat up, reaching out one final time and running his fingers over the indentations in Jack's pillow. A frown gradually worked its way onto the younger man's lips, and he allowed his eyes to slowly scan across the room. Soon, they drifted to the wide open closet doors. Rhys had never seen inside this closet, he'd never had a reason to.

And he didn't now.

No, all he needed to do right now was find Jack and make sure he hadn't nor was going to do anything reckless.

It wouldn't be the first time.

Immediately once Jack had opened up to him, a couple of months into their relationship, Rhys had noticed the older man got into his own head a lot. He thought everything was his fault. His wife's demise, Angel becoming a siren, Angel killing his wife, her being in danger-

Well, the list went on.

Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, Rhys slowly rose to his feet, padding quietly over to the carelessly thrown into out contents of the closet. While he was sure that there were more skeletons in that closet than in a graveyard, Rhys decided now wasn't the best time to go snooping about. Instead, he focused his attention on a neatly painted box, white and gold, and a soft smile grew on his lips at the contents.

A simple wedding ring lay atop a pressed, wilted flower, encased inside a glass frame of some sort. A representation of sentimental value, Rhys assumed, though not of Jack's. The CEO didn't exactly seem like the kind of man to keep a memento of his wedding day and his deceased wife.

But then again, maybe he was in a different life.

Taking the opportunity as the closet was already open, Rhys tugged down one of Jack's old Hyperion sweaters from a coat hanger, smiling softly as he pressed his face into the soft, worn fabric. He quickly pulled it on, realising it was far too big as it came down to his mid thighs and the sleeves dangled over his hands. He couldn't lie and say he didn't love it, though.

Once he felt he was sufficiently cozy enough, adding a pair of thick socks to his ensemble, he quietly stepped out of the bedroom, leaving the door open behind him. His first instinct was to look for Jack on the porch-

Well, it wasn't really a porch. A real porch in space would be a horrible idea.

It was more of a fishbowl, as Rhys often found himself referring to it as, where you could sit and watch the stars and planets safely. He usually found Jack there when the older man couldn't sleep, and evidently tonight would be no different.

Slowly, Rhys pulled back the sliding door, stepping out into the deck and treading lightly over to Jack. A soft frown grew on Rhys's lips when he saw the glass of honey-coloured liquid in one of Jack's hands, but when he saw a bunch of white fabric in the other the frown quickly fell away. If his suspicions were correct, he definitely couldn't be angry at Jack.

"Hey," Rhys began, his voice low and soft as he sat down beside Jack, "how comes you're not in bed? I woke up and you weren't there."

A gentle chuckle left Jack, "Sorry. My brain wanted to work overtime, body didn't, so we're meeting in the middle."

Rhys laughed softly in response, nodding before he pointed to the white fabric, "What's that?"

Jack slowly allowed the fabric to unravel, and Rhys felt the smile drop off his face again: a veil. He supposed it was Jack's wife's.

No wonder he had the whiskey.

"Jack, I-"

Rhys cut himself off, lips parting in surprise as the veil was slipped onto his head, the clip snapping shut around a thick section of his hair.

The CEO hummed happily, a fond smile on his lips as he watched Rhys's cheeks flush red, "There. Beautiful." he whispered, reaching out and stroking Rhys's warm cheek.

"Is this allowed?" Rhys squeaked out, eyes a little wide as his face continued to grow hotter and hotter by the second, "I'm not gonna get, like, h- haunted? Or anything?"

Jack couldn't help but laugh at the notion, though it didn't seem as if he was mocking Rhys for the question, "No. God, no. She'd- Hell, she'd be happy someone else got to use it."

At this point, Rhys's whole face was a soft pink, his cheeks a dark red, and a soft sigh slipped its way past his lips. "Are you okay, Jack…?" he asked, reaching out and taking Jack's now free hand, "You still seem… I don't know, exactly. Off."

He didn't get the answer he was looking for. He didn't get any answer, really. All he got was the now empty glass placed into one of his hand, and a boozy-smelling pair of lips pressed to his forehead.

"You should go back to bed, baby." Jack whispered, standing up and beginning to walk towards the front door, "You must be tired."

Rhys didn't bother starting to answer, and he was glad he didn't, as he heard the penthouse's front door slam shut behind him after only a few more seconds, and he just let his body slowly sink down further into the sofa.


End file.
